Spring Ridge Elementary Receives Grant in Support of STEM Club

FREDERICK, MD – December 21, 2011: Spring Ridge Elementary School recently received a $5,600.19 grant from The Mark and Susan Butt Saturday Morning Fund in support of the STEM Club. The fund is one of more than 615 component funds of The Community Foundation of Frederick County.

The Spring Ridge Elementary STEM (science, technology, engineering, math) Club is an opportunity for a diverse group of fourth and fifth graders to explore these areas as related to careers in the real world. During the after-school sessions, students were exposed to STEM topics in the areas of rocketry, engineering, flight and aviation, robotics, and cryptology. Guest speakers, including a former NASA astronaut, provided an interactive environment with activities such as building and launching rockets, experiments about surface tension, discovering how airplanes fly, creating a moving robot and learning about cryptic codes. The Club visited Frederick Municipal Airport as one of their field trips, for a close look at airplanes. 

The Mark and Susan Butt Saturday Morning Fund was established in 2006 by Mark and Susan Butt to provide grants to Frederick County nonprofits who offer programs and services for children. Organizations that have benefitted from these grants include Glade Valley Community Services’ Holiday Toy Shoppe, Frederick County Department of Social Services Foster Care and Adoption Division, Christmas Cash for Kids, and the Frederick County Foster and Adoptive Parents Association.

“The opportunity to support STEM education goals through this collaboration with Spring Ridge Elementary School is an exciting extension of our fund activities,” said Mr. and Mrs. Butt. “As owners of Tox Path Specialists, a biotechnology company, we are acutely aware of the need for educational programs that produce graduates interested in pursuing careers in science and technology.”

The Community Foundation works with individuals, families, businesses, and organizations to establish charitable funds that provide grants to area nonprofits serving the community and scholarships to students. Since 1986, more than $29 million has been invested in the Frederick County community.  For additional information about the Community Foundation, please call 301.695.7660.